And here¡¦s the whole issue, now. Philemon is a leader of a house-church¡K a respected man

- but will he ACT on his faith

o forgive Onesimus

o take him back?

Forgiveness is easy, when it¡¦s theoretical

- but it¡¦s USELESS when it¡¦s ONLY theoretical

o (as are ALL other aspects of the Xian faith)

I was SO impressed by last Sun pm! Touched! I thought

- THIS is where it counts!

- THIS is where it HAPPENS. Where the ¡¥miracles¡¦ (if you like!) happen

- when people take God at His word and act

- when they see the challenges in scripture that OUR freedom, forgiveness, fullness so often depends on us stepping out and obeying God in forgiveness, first

- as Will said the Lord said to him ¡¥YOU are free¡¦

It was five days before Christmas when a stranger approached ten-year-old Christopher Carrier, claiming to be a friend of his father. "I want to buy him a gift, and I need your help," said the stranger. Eager to do something good for his dad, Chris climbed aboard a motor home parked up the street.

The driver took Chris to a remote field, claiming to be lost, and asked Chris to look at a map. Suddenly Chris felt a sharp pain in his back. The stranger had stabbed him with an ice pick. The man drove the wounded boy down a dirt road, shot him in the left temple, and left him for dead in the alligator-infested Florida Everglades.

Chris lay lifeless for six days until a driver found him. Chris miraculously survived his injuries, though he was blind in his left eye. Because he was unable to identify his attacker, police could not make an arrest. For a long time young Chris remained frightened, despite police protection. Finally at an invitation given after a church hayride, Chris trusted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He recalls, "I was overwhelmed with emotion¡Kbecause I knew I had never really accepted and personally met the Saviour." This turning point in Chris¡¦s life came three years after the attack. At age 15, Chris shared his story for the first time. He eventually decided to pursue full-time ministry, helping others find the peace he had discovered in Christ.

In 1996 a detective told Chris over the phone that a man had confessed to the crime that had cost him his left eye. The man¡¦s name was David McAllister. Chris made plans to visit the feeble and now blind man, living in a nursing home. The strong young man Chris remembered was now a broken, humbled 77-year-old.